Current legal and economic trends have led to the requirement that the time over which a semi-truck's engine idles be minimized. This has given rise to the need for a system to provide power to a truck's cab while the truck's engine is turned off in order to enable its heating and cooling and to run other electrical devices.
Laws which prohibit idling while a truck is stopped off-road are being implemented in an ever increasing number of municipalities. Further regulations are being implemented that increase the total time a driver is required to remain off-road in any given 24-hour period. High fuel prices further motivate drivers to minimize idling time in order to conserve fuel. In addition environmental regulations are being implemented to minimize air pollution associated with the combustion of diesel fuels during idling.
All of these trends lead to little to no allowable idling time. Less idling time, means a driver spends greater amounts of time with the truck's engine turned off and with the subsequent elimination of the truck's battery as a power supply to the truck's cab. A truck's battery cannot normally supply enough energy while the truck's engine is turned off, to power electrical devices within the cab for very long before its charge is depleted. The trends to minimize idling of truck engines have therefore created the need to provide drivers with alternative means of powering electrical devices within their cabs while the truck engines are turned off for long periods of time. Heating and cooling are especially essential to drivers who must pass many hours off-road in hot or cold weather conditions. In addition, electrical power is also required to run other electrical devices such as lights, fans, cooking appliances, chargers for cell phones, computers, radios and televisions.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need to provide an efficient, safe and simple system for powering electrical devices in a truck's cab while the truck's engine is turned off.
Information relevant to attempts to address these problems can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,873 to Anderson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,919 to Ellis; U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,330 to Harris, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,994 to Perhats; U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,157 to Eckstein, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,379 to Diefenthaler, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,642 to Greer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,229 to Lucht; U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,359 to Greer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,618 to Wareman, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,921 to Gerbig; U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,044 to Gudmundsen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,911 to Mandell; U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,652 to Enander; U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,678 to Mellum, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,901 to Willis; U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,750 to Karl; U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,081 to Evans, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,572 to Peiffer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,269 to Quarrie; U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,513 to Perhats, Sr.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,678 to Sundhar; U.S. published patent application Nos. 2001/0025889 to Salberg; 2002/0014329 to Carr; Japanese Patent No. JP401153321 to Takehana, et al.; and, German Patent No. DE3933040 to Steinbeck. However, each one of these references suffers from one or more of the following disadvantages: they utilize a secondary power supply, but without employing power storage means sufficient to run electrical devices for long periods of time to meet a driver's heating or cooling needs while off-road; they provide power storage means but without the ability to maintain their charge, thus failing to enable long term provision of power to electrical devices; they provide alternative power supplies that require additional fuel, rather than conserving fuel; and/or, they are intended for non-diesel engines and so fail to work when applied to large truck systems.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an efficient, safe and simple system for the long-term provision of ample power to a truck's cab while the truck's engine is turned off.